Author: Alexander Douglas

Ah, winter break! That time when you can get caught up on things like Dexter and your SMF blog posts. For this blog post I present you with another great reason to come to Ohio State: extracurricular dinners with classmates! (For those of you counting that’s two exclamation marks in one paragraph.)

We recently went out to Buca di Beppo for an SMF dinner date with friends and family. The best part for me was finally getting to bring my girlfriend out in a social setting and introduce her to all my classmates. By now my classmates and I have all become pretty good friends, so I think the time was definitely right to bring in my significant other. Luckily, everyone was very nice to her (of course they would be!) and having her along gave us something to talk about besides finance, which was nice.

Which also brings up another good reason to have as many SMF dinner dates as possible: Talking about things besides finance! It’s very nice to have the opportunity to interact with my classmates outside of the classroom, which we don’t get to do very often what with all the school work and studying. We talked about how Ohio is so much colder than Florida. We talked about how weird the food was compared to back home (a.k.a. China). We helped cheer up a classmate who had recently broken up with his girlfriend. And we definitely got to stare at Ben’s cute children (photos after the jump).

Last Friday, Ohio State was honored to have Bob McDonald, CEO of Proctor & Gamble, stop by to talk to us about his vision for the company & for Ohio State. President Gordon Gee introduced him to the audience, after having given McDonald and several others a tour around the OSU campus. President Gee discussed the various ways that P&G and OSU could work together to accomplish shared goals, which were built around the P&G motto of “Touching Lives, Improving Life.” Some of the quoted common goals included an increased focus on sustainability and constantly innovating through research and development.

I figured (correctly) that Bob McDonald would use many inspirational quotes during his speech. I wrote down the best of the inspirational quotes so that people who didn’t make it to the event could still soak in some of that CEO wisdom. Also I took a picture.

1. “Make us choose the harder right instead of the easier wrong.” – line from the Cadet Prayer. Bob McDonald attended college at the U.S. Military Academy at Westpoint.

2. “Sustainability is not just a responsibility but an opportunity.” – Bob McDonald on how P&G can make a profit from going green.

3. “One must do well to do good, & must do good to do well.” – Bob McDonald on purpose leading to profit.

4. “Give me a lever large enough & I will move the world.” – Archimedes. Not really sure what this was in reference to, but it sounded good and I assume it fit in the context of what Bob was talking about at the time.

5. “Always limit blog lists to five items or less.” – Me on how itemized lists get increasingly boring the longer they go.

If you come to Ohio State, you'll get to meet interesting people like CEO Bob McDonald.

I think one of the most difficult tasks of a student in a new city is finding the perfect place to study. Yes you could go to the library, or sit in your apartment, but I personally have trouble studying next to noisy freshmen (O wow, you got invited to a frat party!) or next to my television (Jersey Shore marathon > net present value calculations). Having gone to Ohio State for 4+ years now, I have the distinct advantage of having visited a lot of coffee shops trying to find the perfect place to study. In my inaugural blog post, I would like to share one of my favorites.

Caffe’ Apropos is a little coffee shop on the corner of 3rd Ave & Michigan Ave. They bill themselves as a European espresso bar, but having never visited one of those I’ll have to take their word for it. What makes Caffe’ Apropos so great?

1. The music: There always needs to be a little music playing at a coffee shop, but often times it’s either too loud or not conducive to studying. Here the music is just the right volume and the genre leans towards hipster rock. It’s not overly hipster (i.e. let’s sing out of tune, play off rhythm, and pretend we’re making unique music) and most songs have a nice energetic feel that keeps you moving through the textbook.

2. The coffee/food: The options for coffee are pretty standard, but it’s cheap and the sizes seem bigger than most places. The food ranges from light snacks like muffins and pretzels to more substantive fair like big salads and sandwiches. There are definitely plenty of options to choose from.

3. The general atmosphere: There are always people studying, and while they might sometimes be in groups, no one is too loud. Caffe’ Apropos is (for me) the perfect size as well. It is small enough to feel charming and cozy, but not so small that you feel like you’re studying over the shoulder of the person next to you. They provide couches, regular tables, and an outside patio to suit your study needs. Sitting outside on a nice day is especially enjoyable, as there’s plenty of people watching to be had.

4. The after-study options: Perhaps one of the best features of Caffe’ Apropos is their liquor license. In addition to coffee and espresso they also have a bar with a variety of beers on tap (as well as bottles of course). Off to the side of the main room is a small “wine boutique” with a nice selection of wine. After a hard day of studying, it’s great to buy a bottle of wine and sit outside sipping and enjoying the weather (glasses generously provided by the Caffe’). Don’t worry though, it doesn’t feel like you’re studying at a bar, as this is more of a bonus than a main feature.

Obviously each person has their own preferences for what makes a study spot great, but Caffe’ Apropos works perfectly for me. If you ever feel like getting out of the apartment and getting some work done in a unique environment then look no further than the Caffe’.